Saturated or pre-moistened paper and textile wipers have been used in a variety of wiping and polishing cloths. These substrates are often provided in a sealed container and retrieved therefrom in a moist or saturated condition (i.e., pre-moistened). The pre-moistened cloth or paper wiper releases the retained liquid when used to clean or polish the desired surface.
Some pre-moistened wipers have been incorporated with antimicrobial agents in an attempt to kill microbes present on the surface being wiped. However, problems with such antimicrobial wipers often arise in the context of the food service industry. In particular, solutions released by wipers used in food service environments are often required to contain a relatively small amount of antimicrobial agent. For example, Title 21, Section 178.1010 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations sets forth various requirements for use of sanitizing solutions used on food-processing equipment, utensils, and other food-contact articles. Conventionally, it has been difficult to form food service wipers that release a relatively small amount of antimicrobial agent, yet still achieve the desired antimicrobial kill.
As such, a need currently exists for an improved pre-moistened wiper that is capable of achieving good antimicrobial kill at a relatively low level of released antimicrobial agent.